Blue and Gold Illustrated

UPON FURTHER REVIEW TODD D. BURLAGE it is — and that the goal of reaching a premier bowl game, and maybe more, remains intact along with the pieces to get there. Numbers depth is one thing, quality depth is another, and Kelly's team may feature the latter as well as any since Lou Holtz patrolled the Irish sideline 20-some years ago. Losing your starting quarterback, running back, tight end and nose guard would have derailed any of Kelly's previous five teams — and all the ones before him coached by Char- lie Weis, Tyrone Willingham and Bob Davie. Recruiting hiccups and player development kept those teams fragile and paper thin behind the front line. This year's group is different. Sophomore DeShone Kizer and freshman backup Brandon Wimbush are both four-star quarterback recruits with a wealth of talent and promise. Junior C.J. Prosise, a converted wide receiver turned starting running back, is emerging as the best athlete on the team and has provided no drop-off while backing up Folston. At tight end, Kelly has plenty of op- tions to spell Smythe, including true freshman Alizé Jones, the top-rated tight end in the country from the 2015 recruiting class. Add in a veteran of- fensive line along with a talented and deep group of wide receivers led by junior Will Fuller (an early Heisman hopeful), and there is plenty of hope the Irish can absorb these critical of- fensive injuries. "DeShone is surrounded by good players," Kelly said of his new starting quarterback. If Notre Dame needs a blueprint to follow, it should look no further than Ohio State last season when inju- ries forced its third-string sophomore quarterback, Cardale Jones, into a starting role in which he produced a national championship because of the depth and talent around him. And while the Irish coaches try to fill the injury voids on offense, per- haps the best solution might come on a veteran Irish defense that features 10 returning starters, four team captains and multiple future high-round NFL Draft choices. The depth is so improved here, fifth- year defensive back Matthias Farley — a team captain who has 23 career starts, including 11 in 2012 on a team that went to the national champion- ship game — can't find the field this season. Sophomore Nyles Morgan, a first- team prep All-American in 2013 and one of the better linebacker recruits Notre Dame has landed the past 25 years, is another example of a top player still buried on the depth chart. Given the hand that Kelly has al- ready been dealt, nobody would've blamed him for pulling the "Boy, why us?" card in case this season gets away. Instead, the coach remains fully committed to his "Next Man In" ap- proach. "We'll find a way," Kelly said. "… And that's what we're going to make sure our team understands." ✦ Todd D. Burlage has been a writer for Blue & Gold Illustrated since July 2005. He can be reached at tburlage@blueandgold.com

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